This series contains restricted material.

This item consists of 13 wax cylinders recorded by Norman B Tindale during the University of Adelaide's Board for Anthropological Research expedition to the Warburton Range in 1935. As the total number of cylinders recorded during the expedition is not known, and as there are gaps in the accompanying documentation, the following description offers a provisional rather than a definitive guide to the Warburton Range wax cylinders.

During the Warburton Range expedition Tindale's recording efforts were hampered by faulty equipment: at one point in his field journal he observed that 'the gramophone cylinders are poorly cut & the upshot was the abandonment of all further attempts to record songs on the present cylinders' (AA 338/1/14, p.271). Tindale continued to transcribe songs, however, as well as details of their performance and ceremonial context in the pages of his field journal. The qualities of the song transcriptions often vary: some songs are transcribed and translated into English, while others are only partially transcribed or merely have an English gloss. According to Tindale, his interpreters were not always able to help with translations (see AA 338/1/14, p.271). Most of the recorded material relates to the Wati Kutjara (Two Men) cycle, which is shared by a number of cultural groups across the Western Desert, and to restricted men's ceremonies. Tindale worked principally with Ngadadjara people during this expedition.

Tindale's preferred recording method involved making two recordings of each song, 'the first was played back to the aboriginal, who then again sang it. Such repeats have never been replayed, they are virgin, awaiting some sophisticated system of reproduction' (letter from Tindale to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, 6 Feb 1975). Accordingly, songs often appear more than once in the listing provided below.

According to documentation stored with the cylinders, as well as notes on the canisters, the Warburton Range expedition wax cylinders contain the following songs:

AA 338/11/11/

• Cylinder 1: 'Reel 1 Warb[urton] Range, Aug 12, 1935'. Contains songs 1 & 2
  [Track 1. Tape No. 9578; TT19; R11 (audio records R7); Cyl. Warburton 1; AS257-258]
  
  
• Cylinder 2: 'Reel II Warb[urton] Ra[nge]'. Contains songs 2 & 3
  [Track 2. Tape No. 9578; TT19; R12 (audio records R8); Cyl. Warburton 2; AS258-259]
  
  
• Cylinder 3: 'Song 11. T only is useful, rest is spoilt by faulty cylinder' Reel III
  [Track 3. Tape No. 9578; TT19; R13 (audio records R9); Cyl. Warburton 3; AS268]
  
  
• Cylinder 4: 'Warb[urton] Ra[nge] 4'. Contains songs 15 & 16. Reel IV
  [Track 4. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R1; Cyl. Warburton R.4; AS272-273]
  
  
• Cylinder 5: 'Reel 5'. Contains song 16
  [Track 5. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R2; Cyl. Warburton R.5; AS273]
  
  
• Cylinder 6: 'Reel 6. Special songs filmed, poor recording, faulty machine'
  [Track 6. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R3; Cyl. Warburton R.6]
  
  
• Cylinder 7: 'Warburton Range Reel 7'. Note on lid reads: 'spoil[t] full of crystal or grit'
  [Track 7. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R4; Cyl. Warburton R.7]
  
  
• Cylinder 8: 'Reel 14, Warburton Range'
  [Track 8. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R5; Cyl. Warburton R.14]
  
  
• Cylinder 9: 'Subincision Reel 2'. Contains Minu series songs 4, 5 & 6
  [Track 9. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R6; Cyl. Warburton R. Subincision 2; AS284-286]
  
  
• Cylinder 10: 'Subincision Reel 3, Warburton Range'. Contains Minu series songs 7, 8 & 9
  [Track 10. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R7; Cyl. Warburton R. Subincision 3; AS287-289]
  
  
• Cylinder 11: 'Subincision Reel 4'. Contains Minu series songs10, 11, & 12
  [Track 11. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R8; Cyl. Warburton R. Subincision 4; AS290-292]
  
  
• Cylinder 12: Test reel: 'testing the machine for the Warburton Range Expedition to the Flinders Range 1937 [sic]'. Two Aboriginal songs sung by Tindale follows
  [Track 12. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R9; Cyl. Warburton range test]
  
  
• Cylinder 13: 'Test reel, Warb[urton] Ra[nge]'
  [Track 13. Tape No. 9579; TT 21; R10; Cyl. test]
  
  

Tindale lists two sets of songs in his Warburton Range field journal (AA 338/1/14). The first set includes:

• Song (unnumbered): Inma Malu (kangaroo) song (p. 45)
  [AS256; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 1: 'Wati Kutjara tukurupa song' (p. 93)
  [AS257]
  
  
• Song 2: Initiation ceremony song (p. 97)
  [AS258]
  
  
• Song 3: 'Minma [woman] turlku' song (p. 99)
  [AS259]
  
  
• Song 4: 'Waru tjukurupa Tadalpa ŋura' (Fire Totem song) (p. 101)
  [AS260; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 5: 'Turlku Wati', a Wati Kutjara song (p. 105)
  [AS261; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 6: A Wati Kutjara song (p. 105)
  [AS262; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 6a: 'Making of Inma from Mulga tree', a Wati Kutjara song (p. 117)
  [AS263; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 7-9: Wati Kutjara songs (pp. 119, 133)
  [AS264-266; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 10: 'Song of the place Tala tala', a Wati Kutjara song (p. 135)
  [AS267; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 11: 'Song of Wardaruka (wattle) series' (p. 143)
  [AS268]
  
  
• Song 12: Initiation song (p. 145)
  [AS269; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 13: 'Wild cat (Parutjarta) song from ŋura Ta:munga' (p. 145)
  [AS270; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 14: A Malu (kangaroo) Tjukur song (p. 149)
  [AS271]
  
  
• Song 15: 'Modern native song from Fremantle' (p. 151)
  [AS272]
  
  
• Song 16: 'Turlku of the Wardaruka (wattle) series' (p. 153)
  [AS273]
  
  
• Song 17: 'Jilpindji song' (p. 159)
  [AS274]
  
  
• Song 18: Pi:tawara's song learned at Fremantle jail (p. 165)
  [AS275; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 19-20: Men's ceremonial songs (pp. 188-190)
  [AS276-277; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 21: 'Subinitiate song' (p. 195)
  [AS278; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 22: 'Tjukur turlku' or totemic song (p. 203)
  [AS279; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 23: 'Turlku Tjilkai' (p. 205)
  [AS280; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 24-25: Initiation ceremony songs (pp. 241-243)
  [AS293-294; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 26: Song describing Witunbitara (place) (p. 253)
  [AS295; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 27: 'Song of the Initiation Series' (p. 269)
  [AS296; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 28: 'Song of the Waru (Wallaby) Runkalpa' (p. 269)
  [AS297; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 29-38: 'Minu Walkadjara' songs (pp. 277, 293-295)
  [AS298-307; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 39-55: 'Songs relating to the Malu totem ceremonies' (pp. 333-347)
  [AS308-324; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 56: 'Nanbi Turlku' (p. 359)
  [AS325; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 57: Children's song (p. 365)
  [AS326; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 58-69: Initiation ceremony songs (pp. 371, 383-395)
  [AS327-339; no audio nor transcription]
  
  
• Song 70: A Wati Kutjara song (p. 455)
  [AS340; no audio nor transcription]
  
  

The second set contains the songs of the Minu Subincision Ceremony (recorded on 4 wax cylinders, see 'Subincision' reels above):

• Songs 1-12: Minu (Subincision Ceremony) (pp. 217-233)
  [AS281-292; audio and trascriptions only for Songs 4-12]
  
  

For further documentation see Tindale’s field journal: 'Anthropological Expedition to Warburton Range, Western Australia by Norman B. Tindale. July-September 1935. Journal. Adelaide, S.A. 1935' (AA 338/1/14); the S. A. Museum Speech and Sound Collections register entries AS 256-340; and Tindale's article: 'Legend of the Wati Kutjara, Warburton Range, Western Australia', Oceania Vol.VII, No.2, pp. 169-185.

Note that in general the actual language or cultural ownership of a particular song is not necessarily indicated in the catalogue descriptions provided in this series. In many cases, such comment awaits further work upon the collection.

Tindale Tribes: Ngadadjara.